(a) Write the equation for the reaction that occurs when a ²⁰⁰Hg atom is bombarded by a proton. One of the products is an alpha particle. (Include the compound nucleus.)

(b) Represent the reaction above in the shorthand notation introduced in the previous problem, omitting the compound nucleus.

(c) The reaction above must take place in a particle accelerator so that the protons strike the mercury nuclei at very high energies. Why isn’t this method of producing the precious metal product in part (a) the answer to the alchemist’s dreams?